TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has planned to cut the budget for the State-Owned Enterprise Ministry by Rp83 billion (US$6.3 million) in 2016 Revised State Budget.

“The budget for the SOE Ministry in 2016 Revised State Budget has been set at Rp243.86 billion. With a self-blocking, the realization could be at around Rp160 billion,” Sri said at the Senayan Parliamentary Complex in Jakarta on Wednesday, August 31, 2016.

During a meeting with the House of Representatives’ Commission VI overseeing trade and industry, Sri said that the allocation for the SOE Ministry was more than enough to finance two major programs, namely the management support program and the SOE Development Program.

“We hope that Commission VI will discuss and approve the SOE Ministry’s budget needs as realistic as possible,” she added.

In a bid to support the tax amnesty program, Sri Mulyani said that the SOE Ministry had appointed state-owned banks to facilitate repatriated funds and provide investment instruments.

“The perception banks will continue to disseminate the tax amnesty program to their customers,” she explained.

In 2015, the budget realization at the SOE Ministry reached Rp124.75 billion (US$9.5 million) accounted for 84.25 percent of the budget ceiling set at Rp148.72 billion (US$11.4 million).

ANGELINA ANJAR SAWITRI